INVADER (aka SPACE INVADER)

Invader is the pseudonym of a well-known French urban artist, born in 1969, whose work is modelled on the crude pixilation of 1970s-1980s 8-bit video games. He took his name from the 1978 arcade game Space Invaders, and much of his work is composed of square ceramic tiles inspired by video game characters. Although he prefers to remain incognito, and guards his identity carefully, his distinctive creations can be seen in many highly-visible locations in more than 65 cities in 33 countries. He documents each intervention in a city as an “Invasion”, and has published books and maps of the location of each of his street mosaics. In addition to working with tiles, Invader is one of the leading proponents of indoor mosaics created using stacks of Rubik’s Cubes in a style he refers to as “Rubikcubism”. He is also known for his QR code mosaic works. “I define myself as an UFA, an Unidentified Free Artist. I chose Invader as my pseudonym and I always appear behind a mask. As such, I can visit my own exhibitions without any visitors knowing who I really am even if I stand a few steps away from them. Since 1998, I have developed a large scale project, code name: Space Invaders.” Invader